Bloodlines
by GeminiOutsider
Summary: Rated R for some lightly graphic moments. Matt learns about threats to hi family, and suddenly he and Jeff have way too much to deal with. I've added more chapters!!!!!
1. Parts 1 and 2

-I do not own any of the established WWF stars in this story, nor do I own their real families, so please don't sue me!-  
  
~BLOODLINES~  
  
~PART ONE~  
  
I yawned and stretched my arms. It felt good to finally be out of the car. Six hour drives are one thing, but when your eyes are sensitive to the light and you forgot your shades, they really suck.   
  
"Where are we again?" my brother asked, looking at the outside of the arena we had arrived at. After awhile they all look the same.  
  
I squinted as I turned to face the building. "Staples Center. I think." Then I hurried to get my eyes out of the direction of the sun.  
  
He nodded. Jeff had slept the entire way to the Staples Center from San Jose, where we had been the night before. I gave him credit though, he had had a long night the night before.  
  
We went inside, and I relaxed immediately. We put our stuff down in our dressing room, and went to find Vince, so we could go over our match for that night's taping of Smackdown.  
  
It was then that I saw her. And for the first time in a long time, I recognized one of my own. Jeff and I looked at each other, both of us slightly bothered by the presence of another, especially when you consider that in our hierarchy Jeff and I were at the very top. However, we decided to keep our mouths shut Around a bunch of friends that had no idea who Jeff and I really were was no place to start a turf war.  
  
Jeff and I found Vince, and he called the girl over. "Guys, I'd like you to meet Raychele Valens."  
  
"Pleasure," I said, allowing myself a slight bow. "I'm Matt Hardy."  
  
Jeff also allowed himself a slight bow. "And I'm Jeff Hardy." A formal introduction that clued her in on our status.  
  
Raychele smiled, and curtsied in such a way as to not let anyone know she did. I started to size her up. She was gorgeous. Dark, almost pitch black hair, black eyes, and the pale skin that is rather common with us. She was tall, and terrifically built.  
  
"We're going to try and work her into an angle with you two and Amy," Vince continued, interrupting my train of thought.  
  
"Sounds good," Jeff lied. Vince didn't notice the lie, however, and went on with the plans for the night. Amy was going to lose a match with Raychele while I was out at ringside, and was later in the night going to attempt to put the moves on Jeff. As the angle went on, it would put a wedge between Jeff and I, eventually leading to the split we'd been fighting for months.  
  
"Well," Vince said, checking his watch, "I have to go find Dwayne and Steve, and let them know what's up tonight. I'll leave you guys to plan things out."   
  
"Later, Vince," I said as he left. Then, I turned to face Raychele.  
  
She looked Jeff and I over, then pointed down the hall towards our dressing room.  
  
Being curious, we agreed. As soon as we closed the door, she said "So you're the two princes."  
  
Jeff and I nodded.   
  
"What are your full names?"  
  
"Matthew Moore," I replied with unintentionally regal overtones.  
  
"Jeffery Nero," Jeff said, with the same overtones.  
  
Raychele thought for a minute. "How old are you two?"  
  
Jeff answered. "I'm 23. He's 26."  
  
She was surprised. "You're a lot younger than I expected."  
  
I could help but smile. The last time we had attended a court my father had held, the nobles reacted the same way. It was as if they automatically expected us to be elders, like our father. But it had taken him years to finally meet someone with the bloodlines to become his wife.  
  
"How old are you?" I asked. Jeff looked at me and nodded just enough for me to see. I was trying to get an idea of her power, and he wanted to know as much as I did.  
  
"21."  
  
Young one. Not a threat in the least.  
  
After a small silence, Jeff spoke again. "Why have you come here?"  
  
Raychele took a deep breath. I immediately got the feeling that something was very, very wrong. "I was sent by your father. There have been numerous threats made to the nobles. Hunters have found out where King Gelbahr has been living, and are preparing a strike."  
  
I was shocked. King Gelbahr is my father. He has been living under the name Gilbert, so no one would figure out his true nature. He is the eldest living member of the oldest, most powerful, and strongest bloodline in the entire Vampire community, a direct descendent of Amaylia, the first of our kind. After more than thirty years in Cameron, North Carolina, someone had caught on.  
  
Raychele continued, her tone graver than before. "I am another Guardian. Your father wants you two to be under the utmost protection. If anything happens to him, he wants to be sure that you two are ready to take over."  
  
I sat down and rested my chin on my hand, her words echoing in my head. "Ready to take over." I could only imagine how difficult that would be. One, it meant that I would become King, being the eldest son. That was something I had already accepted. Two, it meant that I would have to attempt to maintain order through out the community while simultaneously maintaining my WWF career. Third, it meant that I would have to deal with my father's death. I didn't think I could handle all that.  
  
Jeff sat down next to me, and I could tell from his vibe and his scent that he, too, was uncertain. He would be my Second, not only by blood, but by my choice. I would need his help. I don't know if his free spirit would be able to adjust.  
  
Raychele interrupted my thoughts. "I'm going to go find Adam and Jason, and talk to them. Walk wisely," she said, using a parting message for royalty that I hadn't heard in years.  
  
"Walk wisely," Jeff and I replied in unison.   
  
I turned and faced my brother. "This could get very interesting," I said, allowing a touch of nervousness in my voice.  
  
"Oh yeah," Jeff replied, running a hand through his multi-colored hair. "We have to get used to being treated like royalty again."  
  
"And I was beginning to enjoy being a normal person."  
  
Jeff looked at me funny. "Person?"  
  
"You know what I meant." He smiled. "Smart-ass."  
  
~PART TWO~  
  
I was still in shock when Adam Copeland and Jay Reso came in. They were somber, and I could tell that they had been talking to Raychele for a long time.  
  
Adam and Jay are our Guardians, strong Vampires who were supposed to protect nobility, kind of like the secret service. But, the four of us don't even think about it. We're close friends, and the thought of Jeff and I supposedly being above them never entered my mind. Until now.  
  
"Well, I guess things might change a little now, huh?" Jay asked, the tone of his voice letting us know that he was a little upset.  
  
Jeff stood up and walked over to the bench, where he'd put his water. "I was hoping they wouldn't, but Raychele's treatment makes that hard to believe." He, too, was upset.  
  
"This sucks." Adam had accidently slipped into his character, Edge, again.  
  
This time, I was too stressed to call him on it. "Yeah, it does."  
  
I was about to say something along the lines of "don't change your behavior" when Amy Dumas and Trish Stratus came in. Although the two of them are very close to the four of us, they don't know our secret, and the topic changed immediately.  
  
"So, what do you guys think of Raychele?" Trish asked.   
  
After a moment of thought, Jeff answered. "She's okay. A little too formal, but nice."  
  
I nodded my agreement.  
  
Amy sat down on the floor. "She seems a little distant to me. It makes me a little nervous to get in the ring with her." She had no idea how distant from humanity she really is.  
  
I yawned slightly and checked my watch. 6:45 pm. They'd start letting the fans in any minute now. It also explained why I was tired. No sleep for twenty-four hours. I'll have to remember to feed earlier, so I can get a little rest in before we take off again.  
  
"Well, I hate to end the gathering, but I need to get ready for my match." I was up first during Smackdown, and had to be ready by the end of Heat. That gave me fourty-five minutes.  
  
Everyone left except Jeff. The two of us still needed to talk. We had a lot of planning to do, which we should have done when I turned 18, about what to do if worst came to worst and our father was killed. Neither one of us wanted to, and that's why we put it off until it was absolutely nessesary.   
  
When we had finished talking, we went down to the staging area. Time to get ready for action. I was going to put Scott Taylor over for my WWF European Championship. His character, Scotty 2 Hottie, had been out for awhile, and was ready for a title reign. While I talked to him about the match, I noticed Jeff talking to Raychele. When I was finished, I joined them.  
  
"...sorry. Trained habit," she was saying, blushing slightly.  
  
"I understand, but here, everyone thinks we're human, and treats us like regular people. Adam and Jay treat us that way, too. We prefer it, it makes things a lot easier."  
  
I put my two cents in there. "We both know that you've been told all your life to treat us differently than you would another Vampire, but here, we just want to be normal. Be our friend first, Guardian second." I smiled at her. She definitely was attractive.  
  
She smiled back. "Okay. I'll try. But if I slip up, don't pounce on me."  
  
Jeff and I both laughed. "You got it," I replied, and then I had to go for my match.  
  
Despite how preoccupied I was, I actually had a pretty good match, and when I got back behind the curtain I was exausted. Jeff gave me a pat on the back, and Adam said it was the best I'd looked out there in a few weeks. Raychele told me I did good, too, and I could tell that she really meant it. I began to wonder if she would be interested in me.   
  
Adam and Jay went out next, and had a pretty impressive match against the Acolytes, but lost in the end. Our group was on a real "losing" streak.   
  
Finally, it was time for Raychele to make her WWF debut. She would be using her real first name, since it seemed to convey her character and attitude perfectly. Lita's music hit, and Amy and I went out on stage to play girlfriend/boyfriend.   
  
We got down to the ring, and I took my place at ringside and waited the arrival of Raychele. Her music hit, a kind of Depeche Mode thing with a stinging guitar line, and ring announcer Tony Chimel announced her stats and name. I was surprised to find out that she was from Raleigh, awfully close to where Jeff and I were raised. But, I stayed in character and became Amy's cheerleader.  
  
Raychele was extremely talented. I mean, simply amazing. She and Amy had a hell of a match, Pay-per-Veiw quality. Raychele ended the match with a terrific 450 Splash, and covered Amy for the 1-2-3.   
  
I jumped into the ring to comfort Amy as Raychele left it, and when I looked up at Raychele she shot me a look that I can only describe as pure evil. She definitely deserved to be in the WWF. She also looked erotically appealing in her tight ring attire and that evil look on her face.   
  
That was when I realized that this might get more complicated than I had ever imagined.  
  
I "helped" Amy up the ramp and through the curtain, and then turned and gave her a hug. "That was amazing," I told her when we seperated.  
  
All she did was blush. We joined up with Raychele, Jeff, Adam, Jay, and Chris Irvine, who were standing over at the monitor. "That was definitely one of the best women's matches I've seen in a long time," Chris said, taking his turn at giving Amy a hug. Then he turned to Raychele. "Welcome to the family," he told her, giving her a hug as well.  
  
She smiled, and said thank you. Then, Chris ran off to get ready for his match, and the rest of us made our way towards Jeff and my dressing room, where we were going to shoot their bit.  
  
It was a classic segment. Raychele, still in her ring attire, went into our dressing room, and found Jeff getting ready for his match. She said something about looking for Lita, to compliment her, and Jeff responded with "She and Matt are probably hiding out somewhere." He purposely made his tone a little bitter. Then, she got a little seductive, and said she'd try again later. She left, and Jeff followed her out of the room with his eyes, smiling brightly.  
  
"Cut!" As soon as the segment director said that, everyone started laughing. Jeff left to go take on Raven for his Hardcore title, and I laid on the floor with my headphones on, listening to "Alive" by Pearl Jam, allowing all the events of the day to sort themselves out in my head.  
  



	2. Parts 3 and 4

~PART THREE~  
  
"I'm starving."   
  
I looked at Jeff, attempting not to smile. Jeff ate so much, he was lucky he hadn't killed anyone yet. But, I had to admit, I was pretty hungry myself. We drove around Los Angeles for awhile, until we found a pretty dirty part of the city. It was there that we found dinner. I know that's a rude terminology to use, but, hey, that's what it's like.   
  
Two 19 year-old girls, dressed like sluts, standing outside a bar, smoking. I guess that's one good thing about California; you can't smoke inside any public place. We pulled over, and the girls recognized us immediately. They practically flew into the car, and we drove to a little motel on the outside of town that we knew of.   
  
The owner was also a Vampire, and he gave us our rooms for free (one advantage of being a prince, the only advantage we ever use). I winked at Jeff as I led one of the young girls into my room, and he smiled as he walked down the hall with the other.  
  
I took my shirt off, and asked the young girl what her name was.   
  
"Kelly," she replied, trying to be a sex kitten and failing miserably.  
  
It was my turn to turn on the heat as I took a seat next to her and began to give her a shoulder rub. That's my method, everyone has their own. After I knew she was relaxed and enjoying things, I pulled her gently down on to the bed and started kissing her neck. At the same time, I began to cloud her mind, and put her in a state of semi-consciousness. Then, I let my incisors out to their full length, and bit in.   
  
The warm, slightly salty taste of her blood filled my mouth, and I drank just enough to fill me up. I sighed as I finished, and I cleaned off my mouth and her neck. Then, I loosened her skirt and took off my belt. After that, I brought her back into full consciousness.  
  
She looked at me and smiled. "You are good," she said with a smile. I smiled back, and let her pull me back on top of her.   
  
After we had a little fun, I sent Jeff a mental message. `Done yet?'  
  
He answered back `Oh yeah. Meet ya in about five minutes.' Then, Kelly and I redressed, and met Jeff and his girl in the hallway.  
  
We dropped them off at the bar where we found them, and drove to our hotel in silence. When we got there, I checked my watch. 2:30. Not bad. And since we didn't have to go far the next day for our house show in Anaheim, we'd be able to get a little sleep in.   
  
I took a shower when we got upstairs, as I usually do, trying to wash the scent of blood off of my body. Then I flopped down on my bed. Time for sleep. Or, at least, that's what I thought. I was almost out when I heard someone banging on the door. I looked over a Jeff. He was out cold, so I got up and answered the door.  
  
I found myself looking at Raychele. "Yes?" I said, leaning on the doorjamb, slightly embarrassed to be answering the door in my boxers.  
  
"I want to talk to you."  
  
I thought for a minute. Sleep, or a talk with an attractive woman. Then, I went and put my pants back on, grabbed a room key, and followed her out into the warm LA night.   
  
We found a little park, and sat down on the grass overlooking a small pond. "What's up?" I asked quietly.  
  
She looked out over the water. "I wanted to know how you were feeling about everything. I know that a lot happened to you today. Are you handling everything okay?"  
  
I exhaled slowly. I hadn't thought much about everything after we left the Staples Center. "I'm okay. I just never really planned for any of this, like I should have. I guess I was a little naive." For some reason, I had no problems admitting that, I felt really comfortable around her.  
  
"Do you think Jeff will be okay?"  
  
Hmm. Now that was a tough question. He seemed fine, but then he never thought about this, either. I knew that I'd have to talk to him again. "I don't know. Sometimes I forget how sensitive he is. He might take this whole thing harder than I do."   
  
We talked for another hour, about plans and what would happen if the threats became reality, and then went back to the hotel. I went to my room and fell asleep, and had two dreams. One was Raychele and I kissing. The other, was a nightmare about my father.  
  
~PART FOUR~   
  
It had been two weeks of nightmares and being extra careful. Jeff, Adam, Jay, Raychele and I spent almost every free hour thinking of plan after plan, and I was getting ready to lose it. I had tried to call my father about thirty times, but he was never home. I kept hoping he had moved to protect himself.  
  
There was just one added problem: I had fallen for Raychele. Hard. And I couldn't do anything about it. Damn monarchy bullshit. Can't date anyone who works for me, Jeff, or our father. That had been ingrained in me since I was a young boy. And it made me sick. So, I had to talk to her constantly and pretend to feel nothing towards her. To this day I wonder how I pulled that off. Maybe I should say `if' I pulled that off.  
  
It was then that I began to notice some odd treatment from a few of our fellow wrestlers. Some of the new guys. Justin Credible and Raven, to be exact. I never did find Justin Credible's real name, either. Everyone just called him Justin. But I overheard someone calling Raven Scott.  
  
If things weren't bad enough, I got a phone call one Monday, right before we were supposed to meet with Vince to discuss who was going to turn heel as our storyline developed. "Hello?" I answered carefully, not recognizing the number on my phone.  
  
"Hello, Prince Matthew?"  
  
I froze dead in my tracks. "Who is this?"  
  
The man on the otherside cleared his throat. "I am Lars White, your father's Second. I have something I need to tell you."  
  
I vaguely remembered meeting Lars when I was younger. "Yes?" I asked, knots forming in my stomach. Jeff was staring at me, and Raychele had gone on ahead.  
  
Lars sighed sadly. I thought I was going to be sick. "A hunter got your father this morning. I'm sorry to be the one telling you of his passing." He paused, and I started to shake. "We need you and your brother to come back to Cameron as soon as possible, so we can have you coronated."  
  
This wasn't happening. "I understand," I replied after a few seconds, trying not to let my voice crack. "I'll talk to Vince McMahon about it."  
  
"I'm sorry," he repeated, and hung up.   
  
I hung up the phone, and my knees gave out. Jeff caught me right before I hit the ground, and helped me sit down close to the wall. "What happened?" he almost yelled.  
  
I swallowed hard. "They got Dad," I said, allowing the tears to roll down my cheeks. "We need to go back to Cameron. I have to..." I trailed off and gave Jeff a hug. We were still there, crying in the hallway, when Raychele and Vince found us.  
  
Vince knelt down in front of us. "What happened?" he asked quietly, while Raychele ran off to find Adam and Jay, having figured it out quickly.  
  
"Our father passed away this morning," Jeff answered, rubbing his face with his fist.  
  
Vince immediately stood up. "I'm going to go make arrangements for you to go home."  
  
I looked up at him. "This may sound a little strange, but can you make arrangements for Adam, Jay, and Raychele, too? They were really close with the family."  
  
Vince nodded, and took off down the hall. Jeff and I didn't move. I don't know about him, but I couldn't. I had gone completely numb. I didn't want to believe that my worst fears had come true. Adam and Jay came running over, and joined us on the floor. They had known our father for years, and had tears in their own eyes.  
  
Raychele walked over a few minutes later, but kept her distance. She had never met Dad, and probably felt a little out of place.  
  
A bunch of the other superstars came by and gave us their condolences, and Amy and Trish gave Jeff and I each a hug. It felt good to know that they all cared. Except for Justin and Scott. They walked right past us.  
  
Vince came back, and told the five of us to hurry up, we had a flight leaving Dallas, where we were for Raw that night, to Raleigh-Durham leaving in two hours. We thanked him, and got on our way.   
  



	3. Parts 5 and 6

~PART FIVE~  
  
There were two funerals for my father. The first, a normal ceremony for local friends of the family. The second, a community gathering at my father's house. The first one was hard, because I had to play human. The second one was harder, because there was no escape from the harsh reality of what the gathering was really happening for: my Coronation.  
  
I swallowed as I walked silently to where Lars White was standing, in the center of a circle made out of wrought iron torches that dated back centuries. The same ones used to perform this ceremony on my father, as well as the generations before him.   
  
Lars took my hand slowly, and held it above another torch, which was in the center with us. He lowered it, and asked me "Will you withstand this pain for your people?"  
  
I ignored the pain the best I could. "Yes," I answered, allowing the full responsibility of what I was doing to sink in.  
  
He took my hand out of the flame, and released it. He picked up a chalice of liquid. The smell of sacrificial blood made me nauseous. "Will you drink for your people?" he asked, handing me the chalice.  
  
"Yes," I replied again, holding my breath and taking a drink from the chalice.  
  
Lars took the chalice from me and set it down. Then, he raised up a sterling silver dagger. I heard gasps from the crowd, and I felt fear from Jeff. Touching silver is okay, but if it enters your body, forget it. Yet, for some reason, I wasn't afraid.  
  
He took a step back, and pointed it at me. "Will you give your life for your people?"  
  
I stepped forwards, allowing the blade to be about half an inch from my heart. "I will."  
  
He handed me the blade. I turned to face the crowd, and raised the dagger in the air. The crowd cheered loudly; I was now their king.  
  
I left the circle, and walked down to where Jeff stood, waiting. I pointed the blade at him, then handed it to him. "I place my life in your hands," I began, aware that both Jeff and I were shaking slightly, "It is your call."  
  
Jeff pointed the blade at himself. "I would rather rush this blade than ever harm you."  
  
I took the blade from his hand, and lowered it to my side. Then, I extended my hand. He took it, and there cemented him as my Second.  
  
I took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. It was time for my world to fall apart.  
  
~PART SIX~  
  
I woke up the next morning, and let everything sink in. I was king. My father was dead. This was a lot to handle at once.  
  
So how was I supposed to do it?  
  
I got up and stretched. I was in what was now my room, in Jeff's house. We had both decided that it was unsafe for me to stay at the house I shared with Dad, so we moved my stuff into one of the many guest rooms. Neither of us minded. We spend almost everyday together anyway, what would be so different?  
  
I walked downstairs to find Adam and Raychele already up, sitting in the living room. Both of them were silent.  
  
"Morning," I said, plopping myself down on the couch. I didn't see any point in saying 'good', because I already knew it wasn't.  
  
"Morning," they replied in unison, as Jeff and Jay joined us.   
  
Raychele yawned, then spoke. "We have two choices. We can either fly out to New York today, and join up with everybody tomorrow, or we can fly out to Hartford tomorrow and join up with everybody for the house show there on Wednesday."  
  
Jeff replied first. "I don't really care which we do. I wouldn't mind getting back into things on Raw tomorrow night, but I also wouldn't mind waiting a day and letting things settle."  
  
Adam and Jay echoed his sentiments, and it came down to me. I thought about it for a few minutes, weighing the pros and cons of both choices. "I think I'd like to go ahead and go to New York today. Get away from all the commotion around here."  
  
Everyone nodded, and we went to pack our things. I was just anxious to get out of Cameron. As much as I love it, it didn't feel like a safe place to be. Too much had happened.  
  
I packed up and went downstairs, and Jeff already packed (which means he just threw his clothes in his bag) and waiting. I sat down across from him, and tried to think of something to say. My mind was still numb, I couldn't come up with anything that would convey my emotions. I got the sense that he was going through the same thing.  
  
After a slightly awkward silence, everyone else came downstairs, and we piled into Adam's rented SUV to go to the airport. On the way there, I got butterflies. I started thinking about Justin and Scott, and I began to wonder why they were being so harsh. The answers I came up with were not what I needed to be thinking about, and I let it go. The butterflies stayed.  
  



	4. Parts 7 and 8

~PART SEVEN~  
  
Believe it or not, when I walked into Madison Square Garden on Monday, I actually breathed a sigh of relief. 'Home,' I thought as I looked around with what felt like new eyes, 'Time to get back in the ring.'  
  
Of course, Jeff and I got a lot of "Are you gonna be okay?" and "You handling everything alright?" but we let it all slide. We figured no one would know exactly how screwed up we were in reality anyway.  
  
Towards the beginning of the taping, my phone rang. Recognizing the number, I picked up quickly. "Lars? What's wrong?"  
  
His voice had an interesting tone to it. "Sir, I can't remember, did Jeffery drink from the chalice after you two shook hands?"  
  
I thought that was a slightly strange question, to say the least. Especially considering that he handed the chalice to Jeff. "Yes, he did," I answered, slightly confused.  
  
"Well, in that case, there's something the two of you should know."  
  
This wasn't sounding good. The last thing I needed was more bad news. "What is it?" I'm pretty sure I sounded anxious.  
  
He cleared his throat. "Well, I mean, it's no big deal."  
  
"You're lying." When I said that, Jeff came out from under his hat to watch and listen.   
  
"You're right, sir." I wish he wouldn't call me that. It made me feel a lot older than 26. "Well, I was reading back on some of the scrolls, and..."  
  
As he again stalled, I grew impatient. "Would you just go ahead and tell me? Nothing can be as upsetting as what you said last week," I snapped, causing Jeff to sit up and become very alert.  
  
"Okay, okay. The blood from the chalice ended your aging."  
  
My eyes just about popped out of my head. "What the Hell are you talking about?"  
  
He took a deep breath. "Apparently, when the blood enters the chalice, something happens to it, and it permanently ends your aging."  
  
"Just like that," I said, hoping there was more to it.  
  
"I'm sorry, sir."  
  
I was angry. Why didn't he tell me this before? "Goodbye, Lars."  
  
"Goodbye, sir. Walk wisely."  
  
I hung up without returning the parting message, just to let him know that I was not happy. My entire life I had dreamed about growing old like my dad, choosing when to stop my aging, as he did.  
  
I looked at Jeff, and shook my head. "Do you remember the interveiw you gave to WWF Magazine, in which you said that if you could have anyting you wanted, it would be eternal life at age 22?"  
  
He looked at me like I was crazy. I don't make it a habit to remember his interveiws. "Yes," he answered cautiously.  
  
"How about age 23?"  
  
"Say what?" he responded, taken aback.  
  
"That was Lars calling," I explained, putting my phone away, "He neglected to mention that the nasty sacrificial blood from the chalice halted our aging."  
  
"So, you mean that I'm stuck at 23 for eternity?"  
  
I nodded. "Yep, and I'm 26 for the rest of my years."  
  
He thought for a minute, then said "This just hasn't been our week, has it?"  
  
"Not at all." And as we sat there, thinking it couldn't get any worse, I heard the door slam, and the lights went out.  
  
Instinctively Jeff and I both dove behind the bench and rolled slightly under it. As my eyes adjusted to the sudden dark, and I regained my night vision, I made out two figures, both all in black, looking over the room. I strained a little to attempt to see their faces, only to see black masks.  
  
They whispered just low enough so that I couldn't make out who it was, and one of them pounded on the wall. Then they left, and the lights went back on.  
  
I closed my eyes to give them a bit of immunity from the bright flourescent lights of our dressing room before sitting up. I looked at Jeff as he sat up, and then looked around the room.   
  
And that's when I saw it: a dagger stuck deep into the wall by the door. I got up slowly and went to check it out. Pure silver. And attached to the wall by the dagger, was a note.  
  
Jeff read the note aloud as he joined me. "We know."  
  
The two of us looked at each other, and swallowed hard. This wasn't good.  
  
As we stood there, we heard a knock on the door, and Adam's familiar voice on the other side. "Come in," I called, still in shock.  
  
Adam, Jay, and Raychele entered the room, and all stopped short when they saw the dagger and note. "Looks like we have a bit of a problem," Jeff said sarcastically.  
  
"Oh yeah," Raychele responded, walking over and taking the dagger out of the wall and looking it over.  
  
"Oh boy," I added, plopping back down on the bench to tell them of Jeff and my latest adventures in bad days.  
  
~PART EIGHT~  
  
Ever have the feeling that your life simply can't get much worse? That's how I was feeling after that little dagger incident. I thought nothing could be worse than getting that first phone call from Lars, and was effectively proven wrong.   
  
I actually wasn't worried about myself. I figured either I'm killed or I'm not. If it's my time, then what can I do? (I know that's a little morbid, but that's how I felt). My health was of no concern to me.  
  
I was worried about Jeff. Putting his life in danger was a worse blow to me than when my father died. It would be like losing a part of myself. He's my brother, my best friend, my Second, and I just couldn't handle it. Also, WWF fans everywhere would be losing a beloved superstar, and that would make it even worse.   
  
Let me just say one thing: greif, stress, and unreturned love make for a very irritable person. And I'm pretty sure I was driving everyone crazy. Jeff was understanding, we'd talked about my feelings for Raychele. I think everyone else was getting a little annoyed.  
  
Finally, Wednesday night at the house show in Hartford, Connecticut, Raychele told me she had to talk to me, and led me to a little area outside the Hartford Civic Center.   
  
She looked at me, her dark eyes full of concern. "Now, tell me the truth. Are you okay?"  
  
I took a deep breath. "Truthfully," I said, turning my head to look at her, "No, I'm not. Too much is going on at once. I feel like I'm drowning," I told her, admitting to my slightly distorted emotions.  
  
She nodded. "What's been the worst for you?"   
  
She did have a habit of asking the wrong questions at the right time. "Thinking about the possibility of losing Jeff."  
  
She was silent for a good thirty seconds. "Jeff's worried about you. He's beginning to think you might not be able to come out of this okay."  
  
I was surprised that he hadn't come to me with this himself. "What do you mean?"  
  
She turned her head and looked out at the parking lot in front of us. "He doesn't know just how depressed you are, or if it could be terminal. He's afraid."  
  
I hadn't even realized that I was depressed. I was too far into it to see it.   
  
Suddenly, she stepped behind me. "Sit down," she commanded.  
  
My eyebrows raised as I sat on the concrete. She kneeled down behind me, and started to rub my neck. It felt good, but only strengthened the feelings I had for her.  
  
I leaned back into it and let my mind clear. It felt good to have no worries, even if it was only for a minute or two.   
  
"I don't think I've ever seen anyone this tense," she remarked as she worked.  
I smirked. "I'm not surprised."  
  
"Do you get regular work done, like some of the boys?"  
  
I shook my head. A lot of the roster got massages once a week, but I'd never been one of them. I figured my tension would make me look better in the ring, a little more uptight during storyline related bouts.  
  
"Well, maybe I can change that," she said as she ground hard into my shoulder blades.  
  
I liked the sound of that. I especially liked the fact that she had said it, not me. Was she making a move? "Oh really?" I replied, trying not to show how much I wanted her.  
  
"Mmmhmm. I'll do this to you once a week. That is, if it feels good."  
  
"It feels great."   
  
She gave me one last pull, then stopped. "Then we have a deal. And now, I have a match."  
  
Damn. She stopped. We both got up and went inside, and then went in two totally different directions. She to her, Amy, and Trish's dressing room. Me to Jeff and my room.  
  
I ran into Jeff in the hallway. "Where've you been?" he asked, probably expecting an obscene answer.  
  
"In the parking lot. Raychele was giving me a neck rub."  
  
He smiled. "Is that all she gave you?"  
  
I glared at him. "Yes, that's all she gave me."  
  
"Oh, damn. And I was hoping to hear a few stories."  
  
I tried not to laugh. "Not this time. Pervert."  
  



	5. Parts 9 and 10

~PART NINE~  
  
Despite the paranoia, things seemed to calm down over the next couple of weeks. I began to recover my sanity, which in turned saved whatever sanity Jeff had (believe me when I say he wasn't born with much). Our matches were strong, and the pops from the fans towards us were getting louder and louder. I had suddenly found myself in the middle of two pretty hot feuds (one against Adam's character, Edge, for his Intercontinental Championship, the other was the beginning of the feud wth Jeff), and was actually getting the same size pops as Amy, which was hard to believe. She had upstaged me for so long, now I was upstaging her.  
  
One Monday night, the call came. Jeff and I would part ways that night. The way they decided to do it was pretty imagnitive, actually. They put him, Adam, and I into a triple threat for the IC title. For the first half of the match, Jeff and I ran down our list of double team moves from our four years as tag specialists, effectively knocking Adam out of the compitition. Then, after wishing each other a very tense good luck, the two of us went at it.  
  
The crowd was really into our match. We'd had only three matches between us in a WWF ring, two back in December 1999 (as part of the McMahon-Helmsley era "Destroy the Hardys" plan. One between just us, and then there was a tag match, him and Jay against Adam and I), and another in mid-2000 for the Hardcore Championship (it ended without either of us winning).People had wondered for years who would win between Jeff and I, so we made sure that it was really back and forth, leading the audience on until the very last minute. Then, I got the upper hand, scoring the Twist Of Fate, and climbing to the second rope for the Drop Shot. Raychele, who had accompanied Jeff to ringside, distracted referee Jimmy Corderas as I landed on Jeff, and my cover went unnoticed. I got up and started yelling at him, while Jeff stood up and began to wait for me to turn around.  
  
I turned around, and Jeff immediately pulled me into a DDT, laying me flat. Jeff climbed the ropes, and got me with his Swanton Bomb, but this time Amy (who had been my valet) distracted the referee. While she did this, Jeff got up and gave me time to stand. Then Raychele climbed into the ring with a chair. Jeff spun me around and shoved me towards her, and the chair came down hard on my head. Raychele ran out of the ring, and hit Amy in the back with the same chair, causing her to fall off of the ring apron.   
  
Jeff got the cover, and the 1-2-3. He and Raychele had screwed me out of the IC Championship. That was the end of TeamXtreme.  
  
As soon as I walked back through the curtain, I got a bottle of water dumped on my head. I turned around to find Jeff standing there, grinning devilishly. So, I did what any big brother would do after getting soaked by his little brother. I gave him a hug.  
  
"Damn you," he muttered, looking down at his now dry ring attire to find it once again wet.  
  
I smiled. "I don't know what the big deal is, you dump a bottle of water on yourself everynight anyway."  
  
He rolled his eyes. "So do you."  
  
"I know. Why do you think I didn't really care?"  
  
"Then why did you retaliate?"  
  
"I didn't." He looked extremely confused. He's good with words, and very quick, so actually stumping him was quite an accompishment. And a source of major amuzement to me, so I started laughing.   
  
As I laughed, Adam joined the two of us. "Well, looks like our little Jeffie finally got stopped."  
  
Jeff just shook his head. "You know Matt, for someone I know so well, I just don't get you sometimes."  
  
"That's a good thing."  
  
"Uh-huh. Well, at least I do know enough about you to humiliate you whenever I feel like it," he said, knowing he'd gotten me good.  
  
"Damn you," I replied, causing us both to laugh, and Adam to look at us like we were crazy.  
  
~PART TEN~  
  
All good things end eventually, and so did my light-hearted attitude. I had been in a remarkably good mood earlier on that Tuesday night. Jeff and I had cut some really good promos towards each other, and somehow were both staying fan favorites, despite his character's new attitude. Our inter-gender tag match (Jeff/Raychele vs. Amy/me) had been really good, and a lot of fun, with Jeff and I countering the other's every move.  
  
I got to the back first, and waited for him. He came in, and I promptly dumped a bottle of water on him, then took off towards our dressing room. He followed, and caught up with me right outside the door.  
  
"Payback's a bitch," he cried as he again dumped water on my head.  
  
We looked at each other, both totally soaked, and just laughed. "We're both totally insane, you know that right?" I asked him as we stood there.  
  
"Oh yeah," he replied, shaking some of the water out of his currently bright red hair. He walked over to me and gave me a pat on the shoulder, and then we both went into our dressing room.   
  
I stopped as soon as I got inside. "Holy shit," I thought aloud, fear tingeing my words.   
  
"Oh man," Jeff said as he closed the door behind us, his words holding the same edge.  
  
The room was a disaster. Our stuff had been thrown everywhere, and a copy of our old promo poster was stapled to the wall, our pictures slashed through. The ceiling lights had been destroyed, leaving glass everywhere. In the center of the room, a circle of about twenty large, white candles burned. In the center we found a photo of the two of us with our father that was taken after our first tag-title win in Fayetteville, NC. The silver dagger Jeff and I had found in the wall that night was stuck through our Dad's picture, and mine and Jeff's pictures had hearts cut out of the center.   
  
If it had been at all possible, my blood would have run cold. All I could do was just stand there, looking at the obvious message being sent. "This isn't real," I semi-whispered, hoping that I was simply in the middle of some really horrific nightmare.  
  
"This is real all right," Jeff replied, his voice a little shaky. Then we heard a banging on the door.   
  
When the banging stopped, I looked at Jeff, and he opened the door carefully. "Well, no daggers this time," he said, beckoning me over to the door. I walked over, and he opened the door a little more, so I could see.  
Stapled to the door was another note, written in blood-red ink. This time, I read the note. "The game ends in 7 days, Boyz."  
  
"Oh, God," Jeff muttered, realizing as I did where we were headed for next Tuesday, seven days away.  
  
"They're waiting until we get home," I remarked. Next Tuesday's Smackdown taping was in Raleigh-Durham.  
  
We went to find Adam, Jay, and Raychele, hoping to find them before any other messages were sent. We found them in Adam and Jay's dressing room, and were about to tell them what we found, when we heard the scream.  
  
All five of us flew out of the dressing room to find Trish laying on the floor in front of the door. She was awake, but dazed really badly. Her lip was bleeding slightly, and she had the makings of a black eye forming. Beside her was another note, this one saying 'Remember'.  
  
As Amy, Chris, JP "HHH" Levesque, Steve and his wife, Debra, came running over, I put the note in my pocket. The four of them helped Trish into Adam and Jay's dressing room, and I stayed behind while Jeff showed Adam, Jay, and Raychele our dressing room.   
  
I sat down against the opposite wall from where Trish was laying, being tended to by Amy and Debra while Chris and Steve went to find Vince and Shane. I felt responsible. If she hadn't been such a good friend, whoever was doing this wouldn't have hurt her.  
  
Amy noticed my face, and pulled me outside into the hallway. "You, Jeff, Adam, and Jay have been pretty down ever since Raychele came. It's like your face falls further everyday, and now Trish was hurt, and you look guilty. You guys are like my family. Could you please tell me what the Hell is going on?" she demanded, unaware that Jeff was watching.  
  
I closed my eyes for a second, and sent Jeff a thought. 'Well, what do I do?'  
  
'Come up with a lie,' Jeff answered quickly, 'I'm not going to tell anyone, especially since we have no idea who the Hell is doing this.'  
  
'Alright,' I told Jeff, and thought as hard as I could, but in the end, I got nothing. So, I told a half-truth. "Amy, Raychele has been a family friend for a long time, but we hadn't seen her in a while. When she got here, she let us know that our father was dying, which is why our faces were falling. We were looking forwards to our time off for last month, because we were going to get a chance to see him, but he passed before we got there." Amy nodded, understanding with the help of a little mind power. I hated doing that to her, considering she's such a good friend, but I needed her to believe me. "As for all of this," I continued, the fear once again in my voice, "I have no idea who or why, but Jeff and I have been made targets in someone's very sick game of cat and mouse, and they plan on ending in next Tuesday."  
  
"In Raleigh?" she asked, slightly stunned.  
  
I nodded. "They're waiting until Jeff and I are in familar surroundings, probably to increase the drama level."  
  
She shook her head. "That's pretty fucked up," she said bitterly.  
  
"You're telling me. And the one thing I don't get, is why the two of us." Now, obviously, that was utter and complete bullshit. I knew damn well why. I was the King of a species that had been deemed dangerous since it's very beginning, a form of human that had pretty much been damned by the world, and someone knew. And Jeff became a target as well because he shared my blood, and after me was the last strain of our bloodline. If something happened to the two of us, there would be no one left to rule the community, and the Vampire nation would fall to Hell.  
  
"I don't know what to tell you, Matt, but whatever you need, I'm here."  
  
That one phrase meant more to me than anything she'd ever said to me. "Thank you, Amy. Thank you so much."  
  
She smiled, but her smile quickly faded as she saw Jeff headed in our direction, a strange look on his face.   
  
"Matt, I need to talk to you." His voice was urgent, and sent a chill down my spine.  
  
Amy reached up and gave my shoulder a squeeze, then walked off. I followed Jeff to an empty hallway a couple doors down. "What's wrong?"  
  
"Believe it or not, things may actually get worse."  
  
I looked at him as if he were insane. "How the Hell can this get worse?"  
  
"Oh, I don't know, the thought that another Vampire may be involved?" he half-whispered, making sure no one heard him.  
  
"What?!?" I asked as loud as I dared.  
  
He looked me in the eyes. "Raychele, Adam, and Jay went outside a few minutes ago, so they could talk without human ears around, when they spotted one of us lurking around the parking lot. When they beckoned him over to them, he pulled out a crossbow. He fired, but missed, then ran into the night."  
  
I began to rub my temples. I was in way, way over my head. "This is the last thing we need. An inside job." I had begun to feel very, very weak.  
  
Jeff suddenly looked concerned. "Matt, are you okay?" he asked, worry filling his voice.  
  
"It's just way too much to take in at once. I can't handle anymore surprises. I couldn't handle the first one, none the less all the other ones. It's just such a heavy load."  
  
"Mattie, you're paler than usual."  
  
"Is that even possible?" I replied, attempting a joke.  
  
I got about half a giggle out of Jeff. "C'mon, I'm taking you back to the hotel. You need to lay down."  
  
I simply nodded. I don't think I could do much more than nod at that point. It definitely let Jeff know how screwed up I was, though. Normally, when he suggests driving any other vehicle than his moto-cross bikes, I beg for him to change his mind, wishing to avoid lifelong injury. He can drive a motorcycle like a pro, but that boy can't drive a car to save his life.  
  



End file.
